Could the Yankees land J.D. Martinez?

If J.D. Martinez decides not to sign with the Boston Red Sox, where else could he go? Well, if he really wanted to stick it to the Sox, he could just join their biggest rivals.

The Boston Red Sox still have their offer of five years, $125 million dollars on the table for slugger J.D. Martinez, but he’s yet to sign it. With pitchers and catchers filing into their respective camps for spring training, the clock is ticking for Martinez and other unsigned free agents.

If the reports of Martinez being “fed up” with the Red Sox are true, then what else is available to him? Well, there are multiple teams that could use his services, but if he really wanted to stick it to the Red Sox for not agreeing to his terms, he could just head one state to the west and join their biggest rivals: the New York Yankees.

The Yankees hardly need a guy like Martinez. They already have Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge manning right field, and there’s no chance of Martinez playing center field. If they wanted to, they could move him over to left field and platoon with Brett Gardner. But that would leave Clint Frazier as the odd man out once again, and at this point they can’t send him to Triple-A and they’re not going to trade him.

If the Yankees thought he could do it, they could theoretically try him out at first base and have him split time with Greg Bird. Let’s say for a moment the Yankees actually bring in Martinez. They would without a doubt have the game’s most potent offense, a lineup that would be borderline impossible to pitch to. The only downfall of this lineup is that one of Bird or Gardner won’t be in the lineup, because it’s highly doubtful Stanton or Judge would be left out of an everyday lineup barring injury.

Next: Yankees acquire Russell Wilson

In this scenario, signing Martinez would give the Yankees zero excuses to at least make the World Series. I won’t say win the World Series, because everything changes there. But a lineup with three of the game’s most proficient home run hitters in a park that’s conducive to the long ball is a recipe for success.

If this continues to drag out, and Martinez along with the other top free agents remain unsigned, the Yankees could steal him on a one- or two-year deal. Obviously, the Yankees are more in the market for another starter for their rotation, but even with the goal of staying under the luxury tax, not even Brian Cashman could pass up an opportunity like this.